"I don't know where that has come from. Maybe someone has thought, 'Oh, she's bigger than the others so she must be struggling'. It's not an issue. It is just one of those things. People have just got to be nasty sometimes.

Claire was a size 8 back in the band's early days, when she was famous for flashing her flat stomach, but she is adamant that fans will accept her at any size - because the band wouldn't work without her.

She adds: "It's not like I am starting out now. Steps wouldn't be the same if I wasn't in it, so they can't say to me now, 'You have to lose weight otherwise you can't be in the group.'